Rosenallis (historically ''Rossinallis'', from ) is a village in north

County Laois County Laois ( ; gle, Contae Laoise) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and in the province of Leinster. It was known as Queen's County from 1556 to 1922. The modern county takes its name from Loígis, a medie ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. It is in the foothills of the

Slieve Bloom Mountains The Slieve Bloom Mountains ( ga, Sliabh Bladhma; la, Bladinae montes) is a mountain range in Ireland. They rise from the central plain of Ireland to a height of 527 metres. While not very high, they are extensive by local standards. The high ...

on the R422

Mountmellick Mountmellick or Mountmellic () is a town in the north of County Laois, Ireland. It lies on the N80 national secondary road and the R422 and R423 regional roads. Name ''Mountmellick'', sometimes spelt ''Montmellick'' or ''Montmellic'', is a ...

to Birr road.

Demographics

In 2002, the population of the village's catchment area was 440 persons, representing an 8.9% increase in population since 1996. The population of the surrounding

electoral division An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger state (a country, administrative region, or other poli ...

increased to 469 by 2011.

History

Rosenallis is important in the history of the

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belie ...

movement, with William Edmundson, founder of the Quakers in Ireland, buried just outside the village in the Friends graveyard. In the same graveyard are the remains of Roger Byrne, who was said to have weighed 52 stone and been Ireland's heaviest man when he died in March 1804. This claim has, however, been disputed. In his ''

Topographical Dictionary of Ireland Topography is the study of the forms and features of land surfaces. The topography of an area may refer to the land forms and features themselves, or a description or depiction in maps. Topography is a field of geoscience and planetary sci ...

'' (1837), Samuel Lewis described the area: "''In the

are quarries of a soft white

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...

, which hardens when exposed to the air, and is susceptible of a high polish; it is in great demand throughout the country for chimney-pieces and hearth-stones; a coarser kind is used for flagging. Another peculiarity of these mountains is the fertility of their northern side, which is interspersed with neat farm-houses and cultivated enclosures to its summit, while its southern side is mostly a heathy waste. Iron ore was formerly raised, but is not now. There is a large tract of bog in this district, affording an abundant supply of fuel. Tillage is more attended to than grazing: there are but few flocks of sheep. The chief crops are potatoes, wheat, barley and oats.''" The village has two churches (

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

and

Church of Ireland The Church of Ireland ( ga, Eaglais na hÉireann, ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Kirk o Airlann, ) is a Christian church in Ireland and an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the second ...

) as well as a village primary school, community centre and two pubs, Shellys and Pooles Tavern. The secondary level schools serving the area are Clonaslee and Mountmellick. Every year usually in July the village hosts the "Festival of the Mountain" which is situated in the Festival Field just outside the village.

Geography

The

River Barrow The Barrow ( ga, An Bhearú) is a river in Ireland. It is one of The Three Sisters; the other two being the River Suir and the River Nore. The Barrow is the longest of the three rivers, and at 192 km (120 mi), the second-longest ri ...

rises in Glenbarrow, in the parish of Rosenallis.

Sports

Rosenallis GAA Rosenallis Gaelic Athletic Association club is a hurling and Gaelic football club in the village of Rosenallis in County Laois, Ireland. The club colours are green and white. The club formerly amalgamated with the Clonaslee–St Manman's c ...

is the local

Gaelic Athletic Association The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael ; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include the traditional ...

club. Rosenallis AFC is the local soccer club. It plays home games at its grounds, Johnsgrove.

References

Towns and villages in County Laois Townlands of County Laois {{Laois-geo-stub

Demographics

History

Geography

Sports

See also

References